Scary Stories
by Vywien is me
Summary: There was no way she could get to sleep with scary stories on her mind. A really short but sweet oneshot in which a certain bespectacled boy with messy hair helps a redhead get her mind off scary stories. RR!


**Disclaimer:** I do not own.

Lily hated scary stories. _Hated_. Why she let Alice tell her one tonight was beyond her.

It was Halloween in their seventh year and Alice thought it would be a _brilliant_ idea to tell scary stories. Pah, brilliant indeed. Lily was now sitting on the couch in the common room because she was too frightened to sleep in her bed...with the curtains drawn around her...the moonlight shining in...the sound of tree leaves rustling outside...the sound of the branches scratching the walls...the sound of Alice making ghost noises...(And mind you, she was pretty good at it)

No, she couldn't take it anymore so she crept downstairs to sit by the cozy fire, knees pushed up against her chest. She had no idea what she was supposed to do here but she wanted to get away from Alice and the sounds she was making...they drove her mental. How did she even know such Muggle stories? Now, as she sat next to the fire, hugging a pillow, she heard Alice's voice in her head.

"_Lumos," Alice chanted. Her wand tip ignited and she held it under her chin for the desired lighting effect on her face. She smirked at Lily. "Ready?"_

_Lily gulped, but said nothing._

"_Once upon a dark, eerie night in Japan, a woman, who had worked late into the night and figured that she was too tired to drive all the way home in the dark, decided to stay at a hotel to rest up for a nice journey home the next day. She parked her car next to a tall, sinister building...and walked in. She walked up to the counter and greeted the clerk..._

"_Good evening, kind sir. I've been working late tonight and am _extremely_ exhausted. Could I stay here for a night?" She asked._

"_Of course, of course," the old man answered. "But there are only _two rooms_. One is haunted and the other is the room neighboring it."_

_The woman, who was truly so tired, said, "I'll just stay in the room next door then."_

_However, that night, she tossed and turned in her bed, but she could not sleep. She kept hearing raised voices, arguing like there was no tomorrow, and the sounds of a baby crying coming from the haunted room. She was confused...she thought that room was haunted..._

_Sitting up, she decided to check on the room. She walked over to the wall (In Japan, they had rice walls), licked her finger, and poked a hole in it. She peeked into the room...but all she could see was..._red.

_Confused, she went back to bed and tried to sleep..._

_On the next day, she went downstairs to the clerk and asked, "I heard raised, arguing voices and a crying baby last night. I thought you said that room was haunted."_

"_It is," he replied. "I don't know what you're talking about."_

"_Well, fine. But I didn't get any sleep at all so I'm even wearier than I was before. Can I stay another night?"_

_Again, she was not able to sleep the second night because of the crying baby and the loud argument that was taking place in the haunted room. Cautiously, she poked another hole in the wall and peeked into the other room...but again, all she could see was..._red.

_On the next day, she went downstairs to the clerk again. "You told me the room was haunted. Why do I keep hearing angry voices and the crying baby?"_

_The clerk sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you the story. Ten years ago, a boyfriend, his girlfriend, and their newborn baby came to stay in that room. They were happy together at first, but soon, they had money issues. They argued about it for days, tempers rising as time went on. Finally, the woman could not take it anymore so she killed her lover, her baby, and then herself."_

"_Merlin...that's _awful_!"_

"_Yes, it is...and there is something peculiar about that woman that I will never forget."_

"_What?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper. "What is it?"_

"_She was a _very_ beautiful girl...but there was one thing strange about her: Her eyes...were completely red."_

Lily shuddered again at the thought and pulled her knees closer to her chest. _Red eyes. That lady was staring straight into them. I have _red_ hair. Oh my gosh, the Gryffindor Common Room has _red_ carpet! _Red _walls! Ahh!_

Just then, the Portrait of the Fat Lady opened with a creak. Lily jumped at the sound, startled, and snapped her head around to look at the portrait hole, alarmed.

"Oh, it's you," Lily said, relieved. She plopped back down onto the couch as a tall bespectacled boy with messy black hair walked into the common room. Her relief turned into scolding. "What are _you_ doing up?"

James paused. "I should ask _you_ the same question."

"I asked first. Where were you?"

"At Hogsmeade. What are you doing up so late?"

"I—You'll laugh," Lily said, turning her head away as a pink tinge filled her cheeks.

"That's what friends are for, right? And...we _are_ friends, are we not?" He smirked.

Despite the irritation he brought her in previous years, Lily had to agree that yes, they were friends now, seeing that lately they've been spending more time together as Head Boy and Head Girl, though she supposed they were already starting to become friends during sixth year. _And_...as much as she hated to admit, she was starting to realize that she wished they could be _more_ than friends. She didn't know how she could ever have been annoyed at him for having that messy hair when recently, she found that she wanted nothing more than to run her fingers through them.

"I—okay. Alice was getting way into the Halloween spirit and decided it would be a laugh to tell us a scary story before going to bed. And now, I can't sleep because I'm too...too scared," she finished lamely. She cringed. "Go on, laugh."

"I'm not laughing," he said, even though he was smiling. He walked over and stood next to her. "But it is at least two o'clock in the morning. Shouldn't you at least _try_ to sleep?"

"But—but the sounds I keep hearing in the dormitories...it just creeps me out. I don't think I can sleep..." She bit her lip eyebrows furrowed. She shivered.

Without warning, James pushed her down from her sitting position and tickled her.

"Wha—hey! Haha—what are—ahaha—you—hahaha—_doing_?" She gasped between laughs. "S-s-stop!"

He obeyed and sat down next to her on the couch. "Sorry. Just trying to get your mind off the stories."

She sat up from her vulnerable, sprawled out position and threw him a dirty look. He grinned and tucked a straying strand of red hair behind her ear. Lily felt a tingle in her stomach that had nothing to do with creepy red eyes.

"Now, go to sleep before I continue the tickling of your stomach," he threatened.

"Please don't," Lily begged, wincing. "I would much prefer your company when you are _not_ tickling me, thank you very much."

"So you prefer my company, then?" He said, grinning.

Lily glared at him. "Of course _not_. Just don't tickle me, please."

"You should go to bed then," James replied.

Without thinking, Lily blurted out, "Can't we just sleep here?"

James stared at her. Lily mentally slapped herself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"I mean...can't _I_ just sleep here?" _...with you because I enjoy and feel safe in your company?_

_No! No! What in Merlin's name is wrong with me? I do _not _enjoy James Potter's company! He is an arrogant, bullying toerag who is annoying...ly good-looking and smart. No! That is _not_ what I meant._

James raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you insist," he said, getting up from the sofa. "I, on the other hand, would much prefer the coziness of the canopy beds to the hardness of the sofa. Good night, Evans."

He turned around and walked over to the boy's staircase. _No, don't leave me here..._alone

Just as his foot touched the first step, Lily got up from the sofa as well. "Wait."

James turned his head back to her, foot still on the first step. As she walked over to him, she went on, "You know, Potter, I'm not quite sure this will work. Going to sleep at all, I mean." She added upon seeing his confused expression. She stopped right behind him.

"I can't sleep unless my mind is off the stories, and I really don't think there's anything to _help_ me get my mind off them...and no, tickling won't help," She included as a warning. She stared cautiously at him as he stood there silently. He licked his lips tentatively, and then smiled. He turned all the way to face her and took a step closer. Lily stood her ground, telling herself not to withdraw, and fixed a hard stare upon James, waiting with bated breath. Suddenly, before she knew it, the breath was knocked out of her as she was pushed against the wall with James's hands on her shoulders and his mouth inches away from her right ear. She felt his smile widen.

"So you need more persuasion, do you?" He whispered. She shivered as his warm, intoxicating breath tickled her ear lobes. She gulped. Really now, this was enough to get her mind off the stories: the close proximity they were in, his soothing voice and steady breathing, and his hands sliding—no, more like...trickling—down her arms. Her skin prickled at his touch and she would not be surprised if any of her arm hairs were standing up.

Without waiting for an answer, he leaned in. Lily's brain seemed to have been hit with a Stunning spell and when James's lips descended on hers, her head exploded. All scary stories forgotten, Lily lifted her hands subconsciously and allowed them to tangle themselves in his messy, dark hair. In return, he permitted one of his hands to run their fingers through her red hair and the other to slowly trail down her back, stopping at her waist. _Mmm, I could get used to this,_ she thought as she felt his lips move skillfully against hers. His tongue grazed her bottom lip and she obliged without a second thought, longing just to be closer.

Then, just as quickly as it began, it stopped. James pulled away, gasping for air. His hair was, if possible, messier than ever. Lily, just as breathless as he was, supposed her hair must also look extremely disheveled.

"I hope that's enough persuasion for one night, because I'm awfully tired. Good night, Lily." James yawned and walked up the stairs. At the top, he stopped and turned around to face her again.

"Sweet dreams," he breathed. Lily's breath hitched. She gulped, and nodded.

He smirked and disappeared into the shadows of the boys' dormitories.

Well, Lily did not doubt that she certainly had her mind completely and utterly far, far away from the scary stories now.

However, about having no more trouble sleeping (when the events of tonight were so vividly etched into her head)...now _that_ Lily doubted.


End file.
